Belize-San Pedro Diving

[scubahiro]

Looking for information on diving off of San Pedro in August. Descriptions of the marine life, visibility, water temp, dive ops, etc. would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Scubahiro

 

[Gaz]

Hi

A great source for information on diving Ambergris and dive ops can be found at www.AmbergrisCaye.com.

Some of the more reccomended dive ops are Amigos Del mar and Protech and of course me

But there are others that are also excellent go check out Ambergriscaye.com and if you have any other questions let me know

you can also see a clickable dive map with dive site descriptions at my own site www.DiveBelize.com

have fun and dive Safe

Gaz Cooper

 

[leadweight]

My favorite dive op is Protech also.

In the San Pedro area you are likely to see nurse sharks, southern sting rays, eagle rays, big fat groupers, lobsters stuffed seven in a hole plus most of the usual stuff.

San Pedro is also a good place to hang out and have fun. The place is full of drop-outs from the US.

 

[DandyDon]

Looking for information on diving off of San Pedro in August. Descriptions of the marine life, visibility, water temp, dive ops, etc. would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Scubahiro

Your Profile doesn't give any info on your qualifications or experience level, so I can't give you specific answers, and as I've been back from San Pedro less than 24 hours I don't have the energy to give a long report. I'll post one in this forum this week.

My group was booked with Aqua Dives - an outfit that I would never go out with again, if I could go with anyone else. Bad boat, bad briefings, poorly trained 3rd crew member - although all 3 guys were likeable, bad buy for the same money as the good ops, etc.

I did have the wonderful opportunity to go out with Pro Tech the last day, though. Everything the opposite here, nothing to complain about. I'd go with them again in a hearbeat. Pro Tech refers divers to Amigos for Blue Hole trips, as their big boat isn't ready {I toured it; boy is it going to be nice!!} so I guess they're good, too. Did not have a chance to go with Gaz or any others.

Anyway, complete your profile, and you'll get better answers...

 

[scubahiro]

HI,

Thanks for the info. As I am new, I didn't know all that much about the profile. I think I added my info. Short of it, 40 plus dives. AOW and Nitrox.

Cheers,

Scubahiro

 

[DandyDon]

HI,

Thanks for the info. As I am new, I didn't know all that much about the profile. I think I added my info. Short of it, 40 plus dives. AOW and Nitrox.

Cheers,

Scubahiro

You don't know exactly how many you've logged? Just seems like something to track, for the first few hundred anyway. I update my profile after every trip. Anyway, you're profile says "40 locations" and here you say "40 dives'...? If the latter, that's good - a good start indeed.

Based on that, expect to do a lot of shallow diving across the top of the reefs, not as specatcular as Cozumel. I've only been there once, though, and it may have been a bad week. In the canyons, on top, I just didn't see the diving as good as Coz or Roatan's south side walls. But it is good.

(1) marine life: About the same as you'll see in key Largo, with a few differences.

(2) visibility: Last week was fair to poor in shallows, better at depth.

(3) water temp: Last week was 78-82 F, probably a bit warmer in August.

(4) dive ops: As I said, I can safely suggest Pro Tech, and I understand that Amigos is good. Aqua Dives is bad.

Of course, you'll do the Blue Hole. Be extra cautious, extra close to your buddy, and close to your DM. I think it's too dangerous for anyone under 100 ocean dives, but they take everyone.

Hope that helps some...?

You do know there's a chance of a hurricane that time of year. One of the reasons you should have trip insurance. They usually don't pay on 'canes unless there'll be a direct hit, though, and anywhere around will cause for bad days and cancellations. Some risks we have to accept...

 

[scubahiro]

I have the exact number, in the 40s, at home in my logbook (as I do log every dive). For ease, I was just trying to get the info out there, without being misleading, to aid your information. I understand the profiles tend to be 60-80 feet. Is the diving multilevel? I read some of your other posts, I think it was you, about Nitrox. What did you end up doing? I am in the same boat and curious. Thanks and I am looking forward to seeing your trip report and hearing all your thoughts.

Scubahiro

 

[DandyDon]

I have the exact number, in the 40s, at home in my logbook (as I do log every dive). For ease, I was just trying to get the info out there, without being misleading, to aid your information. I understand the profiles tend to be 60-80 feet. Is the diving multilevel? I read some of your other posts, I think it was you, about Nitrox. What did you end up doing? I am in the same boat and curious. Thanks and I am looking forward to seeing your trip report and hearing all your thoughts.

Scubahiro

Sorry if I seemed to pick on you there. I constantly have to watch how I word my thoughts, and when I'm exhausted as I am now, even more so. Screw up a lot. Anyway, keeping such running totals in my Profile here helps me cross reference with my logbook.

The less experienced - both on the Aqua Dive days and my one day with Pro Tech - followed the lead DM over what could be called multilevel. Starting at 80 feet and easing up to 60 feet is slightly so, before safety stops.

I tend to think of a multilevel of a bigger range of depths on one dive. The 3 instructors in my Aqua Dive group & I would commonly go down to 110 and briefly deeper in the canyons, then do multilevels up from there. Two of us were usually on 32% Nx, so didn't want to push my MODs hard. The other 2 stayed on Air, for some reason?

On Blue Hole day, the Nx divers switched to 28% Nx, which is readily available because of this common trip, but we all dropped to 140-150 feet to see the cave, etc. Really too deep for 28% or for the newbies, so we kept it brief and well supervised. I still think it a little cavalier, but - everyone does it, right or wrong.

On my last day, Pro Tech owner Roni and I - both of us on 28% Nx - seperated from the less experienced air divers on his boat and snooped around some canyons, down to 150 or so. He's an experienced cave diver, and leisurely moves along with a lovely frog kick, while I was kicking like hell to keep up at times. Did the second dive to 36%, dipping down in the canyons below the rest of the group.

Are you going to be there for a week? Have you booked an operator yet? Pro Tech charges about the same as the others, with a few extra freebies thrown in, and you get the best deal on Nitrox if you're with them. Instead of $14-15 a tank, it's only $10 - or $100 for a week. I see little need for Nx on shallow dives, but at $100 a week, might as well. And his big boat for Blue Hole trips is going to be a luxury!!

Hope this helps some...

 

[scubahiro]

Hi,

That does help. I sent ProTech an email to see about their packages. I have heard great things about Amigos Del Mar. But, as you said, they charge 14 a tank for Nitrox. I saw in another post that you were trying to do some math to make sure it is worthwhile. I think it is generally. And, it sounds like it would be of use, if multilevel diving means 80, then to 60.

Cheers,

Scubahiro

 

[DandyDon]

Hi,

That does help. I sent ProTech an email to see about their packages. I have heard great things about Amigos Del Mar. But, as you said, they charge 14 a tank for Nitrox. I saw in another post that you were trying to do some math to make sure it is worthwhile. I think it is generally. And, it sounds like it would be of use, if multilevel diving means 80, then to 60.

Cheers,

Scubahiro

Hey, you've got your AOW & Nitrox. After the first day with the same outfit - when the Dive Guides evaluate your diving, you should be okay to go down 100 feet in the canyons with the right buddy. You're going to go deeper in the Blue Hole, so you might as well get some safe practice. Here's one approach:

• Book with Pro Tech, as they are price competitive, but top rate in many ways I watch for. {I'm a paying customer, so I want certain standards met.}
• Do the $100 a week Nx package. Helpful even on shallow dives, more helpful on deeper dives to the MOD.
• Tell Roni the owner that DandyDon from SB referred you. You'll see him posting around here as "Roni at Protech." PM him in advance.